State of being. State of mind.

Exploring England

Prior to living in London I had been to England twice and never really left the general London metropolitan area. I was not going to let that stand and took many train and road trips to see the delightful countryside and seaside towns.

I headed out to the artsy seaside towns of Bristol and Brixton multiple times. This is from a wander in a park in Bristol.

All of a sudden why so many British books involved endless gloom and murders that could happen a meter away without anyone seeing made a lot more sense.

A trip out to Weston-Super-Mare to see the glory of past seaside towns since replaced by cheaper travel to warmer foreign beaches but highlighted again by Dismaland. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many older folk gleeful about being treated by teenagers getting to perform the customer service most people who don’t have a smile glued to their faces probably feel like.

I find great joy in driving down holloways and getting lost on country roads. They aren’t as efficient as the bigger motorway but it doesn’t matter when you aren’t in a rush.

Long train rides and walks in the countryside are often met with similarly gray skies and meandering sheep in lush greenery everywhere.

The quaint English village of imagination that existed here seemingly mostly as a tour bus stop.

Skipping the more popular Stonehenge to visit the more accessible and less crowded Avesbury.

A castle on the long walk we took on the beach from Broadstairs to Margate, decrepit seaside town turned hipster haven.

The funny little colorful beach shacks that people kept their kitchens and lawn chairs in.

A sunset on the bridge back to Victoria station.

I am grateful for the long period in which to be somewhere to take these weekend and day trips that may have, and certainly did get, glossed over in shorter trips to England. London is a bustling modern city with some very historic parts but that doesn’t cover all the other interesting things going on a few hours in every direction. I didn’t even get further than that, another time it would seem.